Weekend Photo Fun - January 12th - January 14th, 2024

[dti406]

This is the weekend thread where modelers can show their completed models, work under construction and layout pictures new and old.

Let's have a lot of participation this weekend!

Rick Jesionowski

 

[dti406]

Good morning from cloudy and cold Northeast Ohio, high winds and rain expected later today.

I finally managed to get a little work done, even while taking care of my wife after her surgery.

First an easy Athearn Coal Hopper kit, painted with Scalecoat II Black paint and lettered with Champ  Decals. The B&O continued using old twins long into the 70's as their financial condition precluded a lot of new cars and they purchased used cars from various railroads to fill out their fleet.

Next a Branchline 50' RBL kit, painted with Scalecoat II Armour Yellow and Silver paints and lettered with Herald King Decals. The UP in the mid to late 50's home built several hundred RBL's in the 499000 class and they were repainted from time to time, this is a 1974 repaint into their current boxcar scheme.

Here are a pair of Kato SD45's in PC paint hauling a general freight mainly made up of PS4785CF Covered Hopper cars on the Stongsville OH Club layout.

Thanks for participating in this weeks thread!

Rick Jesionowski

 

[tstage]

Thanks for starting WPF again this week, Rick.

The past week or so I've been working on a modification of the front headlight & number board light pipe for a Proto 2000 E7A that I'm converting to DCC and LEDs.  This has turned out to be WAAAAY more work than I originally anticipated.

 

The OD of the original incandescent bulb (for illuminating both the headlight and number boards) was 0.182".  For the headlight, I created a light tube for the 3mm warm-white LED out of 3/16" OD styrene:

 

 

 

The black heat shrink on the exterior of the light tube serves two purposes: 1) it helps to minimize extraneous light inside the cab area when illuminated and, 2) allows the light tube to fit snugly into the original hole of the cab's bulkhead, where the incandescent bulb was located.  The light tube can be adjusted in & out to clear or close the gap with the front nose of the E7A shell but stays in place, once adjusted.

 

The heat shrink over the head of the LED allows for a snug fit inside the light pipe but can be removed should the LED ever burn out or need replacing.   The 2-pin connector slides securely over the pins of the LED for easy connection/disconnection.  The F0F and F0R wires from the decoder will be soldered to the connector:

 

I had originally drilled out the lens of the headlight light pipe to accept the 3mm LED.  Unfortunately, it stressed the plastic too much - even using step drills, which created micro-fractures.  Rather than risk the possibility of complete failure of the lens, I attempted to remove just the headlight lens portion from the number board light pipe frame but it cracked in two:

 

 

I salvaged the two separate light board light pipe lenses and fabricated a frame for them out of 0.04" thick styrene that would clear the headlight light tube and utilize the clear plastic nipples of the original light pipe frame (visible above and below) that fit into the bulkhead.  Two 1206 warm-white LEDs will attach to each separate light pipe and illuminate the light boards:

 

 

 

Here is the new light tube and number board light pipe frame temporarily attached to the bulkhead of the cab.  The Lok5 decoder will sit in the well directly behind the cab:

 

 

I'll show more progress once I get the 1206 LEDs attached to the light board light pipes and the lighting wires routed.

 

Tom

[HO-Velo]

Rick,  Thanks for starting up the WPF, good to see you squeezing in some hobby time.

Tom,  Delicate work and good food for thought, especially in making a possible LED replacement easier.

It is National Hobby Month and this handy little holder is sure to enhance my hobby time.  

Thanks to all the contributors and viewers.  Have a good holiday weekend.  Regards, Peter

[tstage]

Nice holder, Peter.  Where did you get it from?

Tom

[tstage]

A piece of rolling stock that I've been wanting for a while (and one that finally showed up on eBay last week) arrived in the mail today: A MILW "CTSE" (Chicago, Terra Haute & Southeastern) ribbed boxcar...

Exactrail only manufactured one road number of this fairly obscure railroad so it's been a challenge to track one down.  One of the ladders wasn't glued to the shell so it fell off in the carton.  I was able to successfully attach it with Tamiya liquid cement and verified that the other three ladders were suffiently secured.

Tom

[Southgate 2]

tstage

This has turned out to be WAAAAY more work than I originally anticipated.

That seems to apply to every project I take on!

Thanks for opening, Rick. (Cold here too, real cold.) Nice work on the cars, and I always enjoy your little bits of history on each one.

Tom, that's tight work on the lights and the boxcar. That intricate stuff eludes me.

Peter, does that stand hold the work securely?

The 4-4-0 has seen a little progress:

Cylinders are attached to the saddle, and the cross slides are installed.

  

The cab is permanently attached, the front of it is styrene. Cleanup still req'd, but it's on there.

  

The boiler can now be screwed to the chassis. 

   

Dan

 

[HO-Velo]

Southgate 2

hold the work securely?

Dan, Like your metal work project.  Though yet to give the holder the acid test it seems to have a firm grip and the base has a good amount of heft.  Appears well made too.  Found on Amazon; Megacast brand Hands Free Universal Work Holder

Regards, Peter

[tstage]

HO-Velo

Southgate 2

hold the work securely?

Though yet to give the holder the acid test it seems to have a firm grip and the base has a good amount of heft.  Appears well made too.  Found on Amazon; Megacast brand Hands Free Universal Work Holder

Regards, Peter

Thanks for the holder info, Peter!  I just ordered one from Amazon: $24.50.

Although I already have a smallish Irwin vise clamped to my work bench, which has been invaluable, I think this holder will come in handy for some smaller and more delicate projects I have on my current and future bucket list.

Thanks!

Tom

[Southgate 2]

I have one in my cart, too! Dan